To begin addressing the low number of women who are elected to local office, the Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women will host “Tales from the Trail,” a discussion with women who have recently run for public office.  On Thursday, September 29, at 7:00 p.m. at Ken Edwards Center, 1527 - 4th Street, five women who ran for Santa Monica City Council, Santa Monica College Board of Trustees or Santa Monica Malibu School Board will participate in a roundtable discussion of their experiences running for office. 

“When ranking nations for the involvement of women in public office, Rwanda ranks number one - and the US ranks a dismal 61st!” said Commission Vice-Chair Kelly Hayes-Raitt, who will emcee the evening.  Former candidates participating include:  Patricia Hoffman, Ana Jara, Maria Loya, Susanne Trimbath and Maria Leon Vasquez.   

The evening will also feature a new video produced by Assemblywoman Wilma Chan (D-Oakland), “The Passion to Lead,” which includes interviews with Assemblywomen about their candidacies.  Additionally, there will be presentations about two potential campaign reforms that could help women candidates:  Amy Connolly from Santa Monica Ranked Choice Voting (www.smRankedVoting.org) and Eric Tang from California Clean Money Campaign (www.CaClean.org), who will present a hand-out titled “Clean Money Works for Women.” 

The event is free and the public is invited to attend.  For information, please call Kelly Hayes-Raitt at (310) 392-8715. 

The Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women works to enhance the status of women in the community. The Commission promotes these goals through investigation of, advocacy for and policy development regarding issues relevant to women and girls, and by creating leadership and career advancement opportunities for women and girls in the community.

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